Monday, June 5, 2017

Willie Ansley, More Passionate - 1

Originally published May 10, 2011

Scouts had begun frequenting his games and Willie Ansley's high school coach Fred Oliver spoke with the young sports talent, to make sure he stayed calm under the added pressure, the coach told The Associated Press in 1988.

"I pulled him aside and said, 'Willie, they're not out here to see you get a hit every time at bat," Oliver told The AP. "They know you'll make errors - major league errors. They want to see what their money's going to buy."

But, before he signed, Ansley had to choose between the professional baseball ranks of the Astros and the college football ranks of the Oklahoma Sooners. He ultimately chose the baseball ranks. But he never would join the major league ranks, getting only as high as AAA before his career ended.

Ansley played his first professional year in 1989, starting at single-A Asheville and ending at AA Columbus. Between the two, he hit .295, with six home runs and 59 stolen bases. He hit one of his home runs in a June Asheville win.

That October, Ansley continued playing in the fall instructional league. And he looked ahead where he hoped he'd end up.

"I haven't set any timetables. If it happens, it happens,'' Ansley told The Orlando Sentinel. "If it doesn't, I won't lose any sleep over it. I know I have the ability. If I keep a positive attitude I will get there in time."

In 2006, Ansley was back home in Plainview, Texas, working for a pharmaceutical company, according to The Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. He was also working with high school and college players as a hitting instructor, something he enjoyed.

"When you don't make it, it makes you more passionate about getting other kids to places you didn't get to, and helping them fulfill that lifelong dream," Ansley told The Avalanche-Journal. "I love working with kids."